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Public consultation on regulatory impact analysis on half-price entry legal obligation is postponed to August.

The National Film Agency (ANCINE) extended for another month the Public Consultation on the Regulatory Impact Analysis – AIR regarding the legal obligation of half-price entry into the Brazilian exhibition market, launched in May this year. The analysis presents data related to the proportion of tickets sold in movie theaters between half-price entry and whole price entry, noting that 80% of tickets are sold at a discount (60% legal half-price entry and 20% for promotional half-price entry).

Currently, the right to half-price entry is regulated by Federal Law No.12.933/2013, aiming to promote access to cultural goods to the part of the populations that, in theory, would not be able to enjoy that for economic reasons. Therefore, the referred legal instrument establishes that students, elderly, people with disabilities and young people from 15 to 29 years of proven need are the beneficiaries of discounts on artistic, cultural and sport shows.

However, the study highlights that the half-entry discount is not based on economic criteria, and ends up excluding a relevant portion of the population that does not have the financial means to afford the entire ticket, while benefiting the middle and upper income stratum that fit into some legal hypotheses of the benefit, although they do not need the economic stimulus to consume cinema movies.

 Thus, the public consultation provides two recommendations: (i) revision of the criteria currently adopted for granting the half-price entry benefit, reducing the total volume of beneficiaries and prioritizing the income criterion; or (ii) extinction of the benefit, through which ANCINE would exercise regulation for information, conducting studies and disclosing data that would allow the exhibitor to better establish its pricing policy. Therefore, the Agency hopes to increase the number of spectators of cinematographic works in low-income populations, to increase revenue, especially in the municipal and federal spheres and to grant economic freedom to the exhibiting market with regard to establishing the criteria for tickets pricing.

The Public Consultation will receive contributions until August 13, 2020, a period in which it will gather information that will serve as a subsidy for possible legislative amending promoted by the Legislative Branch.